By no stretch of the imagination could you say Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV 5 card carries deep implications for the divisions of its co-headliners.

When the UFC boss says the main attraction is for the No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the heavyweight division, that’s pretty much a signal to lower your expectations.

Still, there are questions to be answered in a bout between Stipe Miocic (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Stefan Struve (24-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC), which tops Saturday’s card at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. There are also are matchups that should be filed under “fun distractions.”

In a division always in need of exciting prospects, Miocic’s debut was hotly anticipated when he fought Joey Beltran at UFC 136. A former collegiate wrestling standout and regional Golden Gloves champ, Miocic had the right mix of skills to match up well with strikers and grapplers. But when he actually got in the cage, he was tentative and gutted out a workmanlike decision over the tough Beltran. The Miocic hype train slowed its roll.

After that lackluster debut that looked like a classic case of octagon jitters, Miocic rebounded with a stoppage win over Philip De Fries and then put a halt to the rise of another potential prospect, Shane Del Rosario. That put him in line for a name opponent.

If there’s a UFC heavyweight whose job it is to vet prospects, it’s Stefan Struve. The 6-foot-11 fighter, who boasts the number of fights that usually qualifies fighters for retirement, boasts a UFC resume filled with up-and-comers. He puts them all away. Setbacks, however, to Junior Dos Santos, Roy Nelson and Browne keep him on the fringe of the top five.

Here, again, is another opportunity for Struve to stop a hype train while Miocic gets a chance to put a seasoned vet on his list of victims and open the door to the division’s upper echelon. Struve presents a submission threat that Miocic has yet to see in his pro career, and Miocic’s striking could test a chin that’s been tested on three occasions (though Struve would assert that anyone would have been knocked out by the shots he took in his three octagon losses).

In all likelihood, both need to shore up weaknesses before they’re ready to contend with top-five opponents. But it’s time to see who measures up better at the moment.

Other main-card bouts

Dan Hardy (24-10 MMA, 5-4 UFC) vs. Amir Sadollah (6-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC): This welterweight bout looks like a surefire standup affair. Sadollah comes from a muay Thai background while Brit Hardy brings more of a European kickboxing style to the cage. Both have been stymied by superior grapplers in the UFC, though Sadollah was outstruck more than a year ago by Duane Ludwig, a man whom Hardy recently beat to reverse a career-threatening four-loss skid. MMA math says that if Sadollah can’t beat Ludwig, he’s going to have a difficult time with Hardy. But in a striking match, it’s a matter of who lands the telling blow early. Sadollah favors volume over power while Hardy’s left hook and straight right have all the power to stop fights. Fans may very well see some B-level grappling if either takes a big shot, and Hardy, whose comeback would be utterly soiled by a loss to Sadollah, has a vested interest in taking the fight to the ground to keep Sadollah off-base.

John Hathaway (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) vs. John Maguire (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC): This welterweight fight is weighted toward Hathway, who holds more experience against high-level opposition. Maguire takes a big step up after a solid decision win over Justin Edwards and a bonus-winning submission victory over DaMarques Johnson. Since a setback against Mike Pyle that halted his upward momentum, Hathaway has rebounded with wins over Kris McCray and Pascal Krauss, and a win over Maguire puts him in line to meet upper-tier opponents. Maguire’s submission prowess is the biggest threat to Hathaway, who has a sharper standup game. Hathaway needs to make sure he doesn’t get caught in anything stupid and make his opponent pay if and when the fight hits the ground.

Brad Pickett (21-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Yves Jabouin (16-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC): This bantamweight fight is another that on paper promises to deliver a slugfest. Pickett brings crisp, technical boxing to his fights while Jabouin is one of the most aggressive kickboxers in the lighter classes. But don’t count Pickett out when it comes to taking the fight to the ground, where he’s likely been training to go if Jabouin begins landing his fierce leg kicks. As he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Pickett can mix things up to keep Jabouin off balance and hopefully rack up points for a decision win.

Paul Sass (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) vs. Matt Wiman (14-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC): So far, fans haven’t seen a whole lot of lightweight Sass’ game, and Wiman offers the perfect opponent to stretch his legs. Wiman has enough experience to keep from being caught in a submission if he winds up on top, but, of course, Sass remains dangerous in scrambles, as he showed against Michael Johnson. Wiman’s best bet is to keep the fight standing and try to outbox Sass, who may or may not be ready for an extended standup affair.

Che Mills (14-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Duane Ludwig (21-13 MMA, 4-4 UFC): Both of these welterweights are looking for redemption following recent losses, though for Mills, it’s a much more achievable goal. The durable Ludwig has been up and down the rankings far more than most active fighters, and Mills has but a single loss to Rory MacDonald in his octagon debut. A win in that situation was a tall order, so fans should get a better sense of what he’s got to offer, which is an aggressive striking game coupled with submission skills. Ludwig is pretty much a pure standup fighter, so he’ll try to stay on his feet and put together combinations of elbows, knees and punches.

Preliminary-card postscript

DaMarques Johnson (16-11 MMA, 4-5 UFC), who stepped in for Rich Attonito (10-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) to meet newcomer Gunnar Nelson (9-0-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), should not have been booked. On Aug. 4, Mike Swick completely knocked him out at UFC on FOX 4. The California State Athletic Commission suspended him indefinitely pending neurological clearance and issued a minimum 45-day suspension with 30 days of no contact during training.

In my opinion, he’s making a dangerously fast turnaround given his most recent fight, and though he submitted medical paperwork to the CSAC that cleared him to fight – a week after the UFC announced the booking – the promotion should not book fighters for at least 60 days if they have been seriously knocked out. There are documented cases of second-impact syndrome, and booking Johnson less than 60 days after a concussion may have caused him to expose himself to more damage in the gym before his brain had fully healed.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.